Chapter 3 ( Revised Version )

Silence, darkness, stillness... What had happened? Slowly, a faint murmuring reached my ears,
accompanied by the deep, steady hum of the air conditioning and the distant sound of the wind
against the windows.

My eyelids felt glued shut, crusted with sleep and dried tears—
perhaps fear, too. Slowly, my consciousness returned.

A soft sensation against my skin enveloped me—a thick mattress,
fresh bed linen that smelled faintly of perfume.

I was no longer in the Jeep. No longer in the forest. The blood-stained floor of the tavern was far away.
Where was I? Panic suddenly washed over me before my gaze took in the room.

I looked around: vast stretches of light-gray carpet, minimalist
brushed-steel furniture, and a wall of tinted glass revealing a dizzying
panorama of jagged gray mountain peaks in the harsh, clear light of midday. A
penthouse suite—incredibly modern in contrast to the primal wilderness outside.